A 73-year-old woman accused of murdering her husband has appeared in court.

Packiam Ramanathan, of Burges Road, East Ham, was charged after police found the body of Kanagusabi Ramanathan at the couple’s home address on Friday.

The Old Bailey heard today how the 76-year-old was partially paralysed and used a wheelchair and walking frame to get around. He also suffered from blood cancer.

The court was told how Mr Ramanathan had sustained a number of injuries to his upper body, including his throat and upper chest. His right arm was broken and he also had a fractured skull.

A post mortem gave the cause of death as head and neck injuries.

Mrs Ramanathan, who required a Tamil translator - a language spoken in Sri Lanka - during the hearing, was remanded in custody until a plea and trial preparation hearing at the same court on Friday, December 7.